ASK BOB         #9

 

Q:     I am on a five-man team with all five above a duce average, last year. We have a new owner with a new shot. The oil is flat across the lane. Everyone is throwing strikes during practice. When the scoring starts no one is getting any strikes. If you get close on one frame the next time on this lane it might be a washout not close. The next time up you hit the two pin. No one on my team shot above five hundred. I know, learn to bowl. What would you do if you ran into this condition?

 A:     I will not give you a hard time such as learn to bowl. Flat oil is the toughest shot to score on. Getting high scores on flat oil is very difficult. This is not all bad just be aware in your mind that if you score bad it is not all your fault. If you score well it is because you played very well that night. You may not average as much as you are used to. However when you go to another bowl for a tournament you will probably think the lanes are walled even if they aren't. You have learned something about flat oil; you noticed that during warm-ups everyone was striking. Warm-ups are very relaxed there is no pressure to strike. When the lights come on nothing works because now there are consequences. This is a mental thing that you can use to your advantage. Just relax try your best to hit your target. Try to keep strike out of your mind. You know you can strike when it doesn't mean anything stay relaxed and make good shots and above all pick up your spares and you will be the best in your league. Then when you find a tournament or place with some area you will be awesome.

     I did bowl on this condition this summer in a summer league I was thirty pins under my normal league average. It is not easy to have a good time on this kind of condition. You have to decide to learn something. I had nights I thought I forgot how to bowl. I had thoughts of quitting until I realized I would be admitting defeat. I also had some good nights that on a normal house shot would have been bad nights. These nights I thought I was the KING. Best bowler in the house. You can only do the best you can no matter what. I just returned from the August Senior High Roller many bowlers that where there thought the lanes were tough. I thought the lanes were easy. This was because they were easy compared to what I had been on all summer. I now have to admit that this league was good for me. After all the lows and a few highs it strengthened my metal game and increased my accuracy.

Q:     I have been told that I throw the ball to hard. I try to slow down

the speed but I lose my accuracy. So I start throwing hard again. How can I slow down and not lose my accuracy?

 A:    Your problem is that when you slow down it changes the timing that you are used to. You have to make some changes in the push away and in the speed of your arm swing to get it together with your feet. There is a way to get the feel of it. Try moving up closer to the foul line on the approach. Maybe 6 inches or so, you might even be able to move up a foot. But I would start with 6 inches closer. Then take your approach and don't foul. This shortens up your steps and makes you slow down your arm swing. This will in turn slow down the ball. Do it in practice first and by the way it will take some extra practice to get comfortable. If you are still having trouble ask at the center you bowl at for a coach who might be able to watch you and give you some pointers.

   

 

 

 

Q:     It seems to me that the shot has changed over the years. When conditions were tough and hitting the mark was critical I could do it. Lately though I seem to be lax, just hitting areas instead of marks. I feel many of my problems are also stemming from this. Overturning the ball, inconsistency in my deliveries. Would you agree with me and if so how can I start to fix the problem?

A:     You have hit the nail on the head. The worst thing about the easy house shots is our game gets lazy. We get away with lots of bad shots so the need to concentrate is not as important. We have no need to practice as much. When things start to go bad we buy hook in a box.

Solution, Ask the lanes where you bowl to set up a sport shot for you to practice on. Some places will do that. If they won't or can't. Then when you practice don't play where the shot is. Play another line or area of the lane. If the shot is on the 10 to 12 board play the 15 or 18 board or even the 20, or go out to the five board. Figure out a way to hit the pocket from there. It won't be a very good shot but try to hit the pocket as much as possible from this non-line. Forget about the score that doesn't matter. All you are working on is shot making. This should sharpen your game.

Thanks for reading. If you would like to ask a question write me at sosbob@charter.net